Image of the Black Forest Drive intersection upgrade

Projects

Black Forest Drive safety improvements

We are delivering improvements to Black Forest Drive between Woodend and Macedon to improve safety for all road users.

Project status:

Underway

Update - October 2024

Thank you for your patience as we work on safety improvements for all users on Black Forest Drive, between Woodend and Macedon.

After taking a break from works during winter, dry and warm spring weather conditions are right for our crews to return to site and continue sealing and linemarking from the Calder Freeway to New Gisborne in the coming weeks.

Intersection upgrade works at South Road and Spencer Road are now complete, with works at McBean Avenue continuing.

Audio-tactile line marking will be placed on the centre and edge line marking and a green surface treatment will be applied on the bike lanes at intersections.

Street lighting has been installed at the new pedestrian refuge locations at Spencer Road/Greig Court and South Road. Upgraded street lighting has been installed at McBean Avenue.

Weather permitting, the project is expected to be completed late 2024.

Image of the safety improvement works along Black Forest Drive

Speed limit changes

To compliment safety improvement works on Black Forest Drive several speed zone changes have been implemented, including:

South of Woodend, the 60km/h zone at South Road has been extended by approximately 160 metres. This improves safety by slowing vehicles on approach to the new pedestrian crossing and bus stops near the South Road intersection.
The speed from Willeys Road to south of Nursery Road has been reduced from 80km/h to 60km/h. This improves safety as vehicles cross bicycle lanes to enter and exit the Calder Freeway.
The speed on the exit ramps from the Calder Freeway has been reduced from 80km/h to 60km/h, improving safety as vehicles enter Black Forest Drive.

It is estimated the speed changes will add less than a minute to journey times between Woodend and Macedon on Black Forest Drive.

Please look out for the new speed limits and travel safely through the area.

Traffic impacts during works

Work will be done in sections along Black Forest Drive, to minimise impact to traffic.

However, there will be some traffic disruptions while works are taking place, with delays expected of up to 10 minutes. Through traffic can choose to avoid the works by using the Calder Freeway to access Woodend and Mt Macedon Rd to access Macedon.

Traffic management will be in place during construction with reduced speed of 40km/h within the work zone. Single lane closures will be in place at times.

Please drive to conditions for the safety of our workers, other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

What we are doing

The improvements will include:

changing the lane configuration to one lane in each direction
installing dedicated cycling lanes in each direction
installing a painted centre median for vehicle turning lanes and pedestrian refuges
resealing the road surface and new line marking
installing audio-tactile line marking on the centre and edge line marking
sealing the entrances to some higher risk side roads, which will mean much less gravel and debris in the path of cyclists from vehicles exiting those roads
installing new street lighting
improvements to the Calder Freeway overpass section to improve safety for bike riders, where there is no room to accommodate the dedicated cycling lanes.

These changes will ensure everyone can move around safely, including cyclists and pedestrians sharing the same road with cars, vans, motorcycles, trucks and buses.

Black Forest Drive safety improvements Woodend to Macedon

Image of a graphic showing the various safety improvement treatments along Black Forest Drive

View a larger version of the map

Safety benefits for all road users

Motorists

The 3-metre-wide centre median will cater for safer dedicated turning into side roads and driveway entrances, avoiding the risk of rear end collisions.
Audio-tactile line marking will be installed on the centre and edge line marking to reduce the risk of head-on and run-off-road collisions by warning motorists if they veer out of their lane.
Resealing of the road surface and new line marking will provide a smoother and safer journey.
New lighting installed at some intersections will improve visibility.

Bike riders

The change to lane configuration will increase the space between the driving lane and cycling lane through a two-metre-wide bike lane and 0.5 metre marked separation.
This means that motorists and bike riders will be more effectively separated with more space for motorists to correct themselves if they veer out of their lane.
Audio-tactile line marking will also be installed on the centre and edge line marking to reduce the risk of collisions by warning motorists if they veer out of their lane and into the bike lane.

Pedestrians

Pedestrian refuges will be installed at key locations along Black Forest Drive, to assist those using the bus stops, particularly school children, to cross the road safely.
Black Forest Drive is a wide road and difficult for pedestrians to navigate. Pedestrian refuges will improve visibility and provide a protected central area between traffic lanes.

Community consultation

We have undertaken extensive community consultation on safety improvements for Black Forest Drive.

We thank the Macedon Ranges communities for being part of this conversation with us, over the many years.

Draft designs for safety improvements for Black Forest Drive between Woodend and Macedon were released for public consultation on the Engage Victoria website from Thursday 29 September until Tuesday 1 November 2022.

The below report explains the ways in which we engaged with the community on the draft designs during late 2022, who we have talked to and importantly, the key themes and insights from your feedback.

The feedback in this report was shared with the project team to help inform the scope of the final safety improvements.

View the engagement report on the Engage Victoria website.